TV Reviews : Portrait of a Jazz Friendship

Movies about jazz through the years (whether theatrical or made-for-TV) have maintained a low level of authenticity. It is a rare pleasure to report that “Lush Life” is an exception to the rule.

The story line might well be dismissed as just another disease-of-the-week melodrama. But the relationship between the two principal characters is warmly convincing, thanks to the writing (by director Michael Elias) and the performances. Jeff Goldblum is a saxophonist, Forest Whitaker a trumpeter. They work together on everything from jazz gigs to bar mitzvahs and baroque dates.

Neither artist is glamorized as a frustrated genius; this is neither “Bird” nor “Round Midnight.” Goldblum, who sports a Yassir Arafat growth throughout, is in marital trouble; Whitaker, we soon learn, has an inoperable brain tumor. Goldblum arranges to bring together all his buddy’s favorite musicians and friends for a grand finale, without telling them the true reason for the gathering.

The simple plot is serviceable enough to provide an admirable soundtrack, with the late Bob Cooper dubbing the sax parts, Chuck Findley playing the trumpet for Whitaker, and Sue Raney singing “I’m Old Fashioned” as the voice of Kathy Baker.

Lennie Niehaus, who did a similarly splendid job for “Bird,” was the mastermind, writing original music and incorporating such works as Thelonious Monk’s “Misterioso” (used as bookends to open and close the story), Freddie Hubbard’s “Up Jumped Spring” and other jazz standards. Whitaker, whose performance as Charlie Parker in “Bird” won him a Cannes Film Festival award, is no less convincing here.

Singer Ernie Andrews is seen briefly in a nightclub sequence. Jack Sheldon and other leading Los Angeles studio musicians take part, mainly on the soundtrack.

Oddly, Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” is not heard, but this is a minor flaw in a movie that succeeds musically and, to a lesser degree, dramatically, in holding the attention for most of its 105 minutes.

* “Lush Life” airs at 9 tonight on Showtime. Additional play dates are Thursday, June 5, June 14 and June 20.